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Personal Loans NEW BOAT? All loans are subject to normal bank lending criteria and final approval from the Bank. The term of the loan must not go beyond re rement age. Issued by Bank of Valle a p.l.c. 58, Triq San Żakkarija, Il-Belt Valle a VLT 1130. Bank of Valle a p.l.c. is regulated by the MFSA and licensed to carry out the business of banking in terms of the Banking Act (Cap. 371 of the Laws of Malta). Compe ve Interest Rates WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT €1.00 WEDNESDAY • 20 MAY 2026 • ISSUE 991 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY EDITORIAL • PAGE 11 PN wants to extend anti- discrimination laws to provision of goods and services THE Nationalist Party (PN) has, in its 2026 electoral manifesto, endorsed key elements of a long-delayed Equality Act, signalling a commit- ment to strengthen Malta's anti-dis- crimination framework by explicitly broadening protections linked to SOGIGESC categories and access to services. SOGIGESC stands for Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Charac- teristics, a policy framework used to define protected characteristics relat- ing to LGBTQIA+ persons. CONTINUES PAGE 4 WEDNESDAY EDITION Abela invokes track record, Borg pledges cut in red tape PRIME Minister Robert Abe- la and Nationalist Party lead- er Alex Borg went head-to- head once again on Tuesday in their second debate in as many days. The debate, organised by the Malta Chamber of SMEs, cen- tred on economic policy, busi- ness concerns and challenges facing the private sector.In his opening remarks, Alex Borg stated that his party's mani- festo was created with many aims, one of them being to help small and medium busi- nesses. He also reminded his intention to create new eco- nomic niches, while acknowl- edging the labour and skills shortage experienced by the majority of businesses in Mal- ta. Meanwhile, Robert Abela reminded those present that he faced crisis after crisis side by side with the business community since 2020. He stressed Malta's economic growth throughout the years since 2013. Looking forward, he repeated his government's macroeconomic targets for the upcoming four years, in- cluding reduced debt and a surplus. Abela used his open- ing speech to compare Malta's stable economy to other EU economies that adopted aus- terity policies, while stressing that one always knows where they stand with his govern- ment. The first question focused on employers' labour shortage and concerns on overpopula- tion. Borg said his party's vision will focus on an upskilling drive, while repeating the PN's pledge to create two one-stop shops for employers and em- ployees to reduce bureaucra- cy. Robert Abela and Alex Borg went head to head in a debate organised by the Chamber of SMEs for the self-employed and small businesses MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Labour leader Robert Abela (left) and Nationalist leader Alex Borg (right) faced each other in their second debate of the 2026 general election (Photo: OPM) ELECTION SPECIAL: CONTINUES PAGE 3 JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt MaltaToday will be published daily from Monday to Thursday. Order your copy from your news agent